On Monday i had the crazy idea to start running. Not only to start running, but to try build up to running 5km. I'm not sure what caused this tiny bubble of insanity to enter my head. Possibly it's because there's a hint of summer in the air, the evenings are becoming longer and I've spent the last 10 years sat behind a desk. The last time thoughts of exercise entered my head i was 15 and thinking how to excuse myself from P.E. at school. Now at 33, the only time i'd normally consider running is for last orders at the bar. This is a shock to the system to say the least.

So far I've completed the first two runs of week 1. Now i use the word run quite loosely. I'm hardly Mo Farah. My running isn't going to break the sound barrier or hit 88mph and send me back to the future like Marty McFly. In fact, I'm pretty sure that i could walk faster but needless to say it's truly exhausting. 60 seconds has never felt so long in my life. I'd love to know when exactly i got this out of shape. Week 1 didn't sound too difficult from the comfort of my couch that's for sure.

Tomorrow will be Friday, and more importantly my 3rd and final run for week 1. Weirdly I'm sort of looking forward to it. Never thought I'd say that in my life. Even though my thigh and calf muscles are still aching from the start of the week, I'm actually looking forward to getting outside tomorrow evening and going for a little jog. What madness is this? I just hope i can stay motivated for the course. 5km still seems an unattainable goal, we'll just have to wait and see.

P.S. Does anyone else use the endomondo app on their phone to track their runs?

15 Replies

Wooooohoooo, well done you!!! You've got off the couch and started the programme, that's the most important bit over and done! The aches and pains of the first week or so are entirely to be expected, especially if you've been desk-bound and inactive for a few years! There's no reason why you can't take two or more days off at the weekend if your legs are still complaining .... Just as long as you get out again next week. The programme is soooooo very well designed that every time you complete a week, your body has been prepared for the next stage.

Enjoy tomorrow's sundown run, you'll do just fine - go slowly and steadily all the way, and if your body wants the weekend off to heal and strengthen, so what? You'll be back again next week, so the very best of luck to you! Cheers, Linda

Welcome I'm a newbie like you having just done my first run of week 2 and I'm pretty sure at some point during week 1 my running was so slow I almost went backwards! It's not much quicker now but apparently slow is good so that works for me Keep up the hard work

Good for you for getting started - most of us feel the first run is the hardest. I used Endomondo until quite recently and found it really good for measuring and tracking my 'runs' (I use this term very loosely). On my last birthday my husband gave me a bright pink Garmin Forerunner 10 which is really easy to use and doesn't require much fumbling about to turn it on and off. I love all the tracking and measuring and comparing runs, cycles, walks. Good luck for your next run - it sounds as though you're hooked!

I started today and was horrified at my level of fitness - I was rasping like a walrus half way through my first session! Completely mystified! I'm hoping in 9 weeks time healthy me can giggle at my old self!

If it's any help, I'm about to start week 5 tomorrow morning and am finding although it's still physically challenging, it's not actually painful any more AND I love the fact that my fitness is visibly improving already. I'm enjoying the "runs" (erm, slow jogs) and think I might actually finish the podcasts and keep on running

Well done! - I am also 33 and just like you have been desk bound for a decade now ! I am completing W2R3 and already looking forward to W3 !! :-)...Just keep it up and take plenty of rest between runs.

I have used Endomondo on my iPhone and have found that it tends to slightly inflate the distances covered walking / running when compared to distances recorded by my GPS watch.

Ive just done W2R1 this morning. I found having 2 rest days between the end of last week and this morning felt so much better than just one day so try to fit 2 days rest in your week if you can? I had a mini Boots chemist stocked at home with hot water bottles, cold compresses, painkillers etc just to get me through week 1 but it does get easier (just slightly!!). You will get there. Slowly slowly catchy monkey

Ha — funny how you find yourself "looking forward" to running, right?! I had the same experience. In spite of the calf pain and slight embarrassment of being able to jog only 1 minute at a time, I also found myself looking forward to the C25K runs. For me, I think it was the fact that I was working toward a goal and I could see each day that I was getting there. I was feeling more and more healthy every day. It's a good thing.

Good luck on your journey and make sure you get fitted for some good running shoes. I didn't get mine until the end of week three and it made such a difference.

Thanks everyone. Some great tips there too. That's me done for week 1 so i've got a whole two days off before stepping up a level on Monday. Actually that reminds me, i need to download the podcast! LOL

Very well done for starting - that first week is tough, and I can only echo everyone else's comments. I think particularly the idea of having two days ( or more) off if you are really tired and sore - it seems to me that the most important thing is to keep plugging on. And I am 21 years older than you, and was very unfit to start with so it is do-able. The best advice I gleaned was to go slow and although I am probably amongst the slowest runners on here, I do think that it has helped to keep me going. I'll be doing 25 minutes later today

( I hope!) which would have seemed unimaginable only six weeks ago. Best of luck for your runs next week.

Hey well done you for getting out there, once you start you get hooked lol

I use the endomondo app when im out, usually works great, downside is, i went out on my week 4 run 1 and got home excited to see how far id went as i took a different route, and the thing read 1.5 km for my total run, id lost gps signal and it had just cut a straight line across the field until it connected again, But plus side if this happens and you know the route you went you can draw it online to get a closer idea of what you ran. Good luck for all your runs, keep it up